Texas State University will begin hosting annual summer “Cat Camps” aimed at introducing incoming students to Bobcat traditions.

The Texas State Pride and Traditions Committee has been planning Cat Camp for more than a year, and the first sessions will be held July 6-8 and Aug. 7-9. Camps will take place at Camp Young Judaea in Wimberley. Tuition for the optional program is $155 and limited space is available. Organizers plan to host 400 campers in the first year of the program.

Celeste Nored, director of annual giving at Texas State and a member of the university’s Pride and Traditions Committee, said the university hopes to instill a new sense of engagement and connection with incoming students.

“We want our new students to know what it means to be a Bobcat and give them a chance to come together and make new friends. We hope that Cat Campers will go back to campus and teach other students about Bobcat traditions and that this will lead to more involved students and, eventually, to a more engaged alumni base,” Nored said.

The project has been a combined effort of the Texas State administration and various student groups. Recruiting is currently taking place for 16 student camp counselors.

Ted Ingwersen, assistant director of residential education in Texas State’s Department of Housing and Residential Life and co-chair of the Pride and Traditions Committee, said potential counselors should be able to demonstrate initiative and leadership skills and also have “a passion for being a student at Texas State.”

“The counselors we hire will be instrumental in planning the curriculum and activities for Cat Camp. We want good student leaders who care about their university and their fellow students. Our eventual goal is to make this a student-driven project,” said Ingwersen.Cat Camp is an optional program and does not replace the university’s mandatory Paws Preview and New Student Orientation programs. Scholarship assistance is available for students in need.

To apply for a Cat Camp counselor position or for more information on the program contact Ted Ingwersen at (512) 245-8477 or email catcamp@txstate.edu or visit the Cat Camp website at http://pride-traditions.ua.txstate.edu/Cat-Camp.html.